Born an orphaned albino, Yellowman grew up an outcast, but was during the late 1970s he able to use his condition to gain notoriety as a rapper (or "toaster" in dancehall parlance) infamous for his improbable boasts of sexual potency. His first album, Mister Yellowman, produced by Henry "Junjo" Lawes, was released in 1982, a year after the death of Bob Marley; it proved a modest success on international markets, and was succeeded by Zungguzungguguzungguzeng (1983). Yellowman was increasingly criticized for the homophobia and sexism present in his lyrics, so by the mid-80s his songs were gaining a greater degree of social consciousness -- sexual songs like "Want A Virgin" tempered by others like "Ease Up, President Botha" or the cautionary "A.I.D.S." A bout with skin cancer in the early 90s nearly took his life, but Yellowman recovered, and beginning with Prayer (1994) his later output is suffused with a greater degree of spirituality.